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Checklist
Operational Risk Assessment
A simple framework for identifying hidden operational exposure in your business.
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Use this checklist to assess potential operational risk exposure in your organization. Each "yes" answer indicates an area where Operations Listening could provide early warning value.
Process Visibility
- We sometimes discover process deviations weeks after they began
- Teams have developed unofficial workarounds that aren't documented
- It's difficult to know which processes are being followed as designed
- Exception handling has become routine in certain areas
- Process changes happen informally without centralized awareness
Handoff & Coordination
- Work frequently queues between teams longer than expected
- Information is lost or incomplete when work transfers between teams
- Escalations often result from coordination failures, not technical issues
- Teams blame each other when problems occur
- No one has clear visibility into cross-team workflows
Performance Indicators
- KPIs often move before we understand why
- We frequently discover problems through customer complaints
- Monthly reviews reveal issues that were developing for weeks
- Performance varies significantly between teams or regions without clear explanation
- Recovery from performance dips takes longer than it should
Capacity & Load
- Teams regularly work overtime to meet normal demand
- Small increases in volume create disproportionate strain
- Critical knowledge is concentrated in a few individuals
- We're not confident we could scale operations quickly if needed
- Backlog builds faster than expected when issues occur
Quality & Exceptions
- Error rates vary without clear patterns or causes
- Rework is a significant portion of team effort
- Quality issues are detected late in the process
- First-time-right rates are below targets but reasons are unclear
- Customer corrections and complaints have increased
Leadership Visibility
- Senior leaders are often surprised by operational problems
- Reporting focuses on outcomes rather than operational health
- It's difficult to distinguish real issues from noise
- We lack confidence that we're seeing the full picture
- Problems seem to appear suddenly despite regular reporting
Scoring Guide
0-5Low exposure - Standard reporting may be sufficient
6-15Moderate exposure - Operational listening would add value
16+High exposure - Strong case for preventative signal monitoring